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It was summer break and Mike was home from college. So was Nancy, but that's not who he was most excited to see.
As he walked in through the door, Holly ran up to Mike and hugged him tightly, smiling so brightly at her.
"Mikey!!! I missed you!" She shouted as she gripped him tighter in the warm embrace.
"I missed you too kiddo, how have you been?"
She smiled so sweetly up at him, he was convinced she could bring a similar grin to anyone's face in a second.
"I've been good! But it's kind of lonely here by myself sometimes." She admits.
"Well you have your friends, don't you?" He comforts her.
"I suppose," she says matter of factly. "But they aren't over all of the time, so it's still lonely."
"I bet. Sorry I can't be here with you as much anymore Kiddo." He ruffles her hair, grinning as he runs away and she chases after him.
"Ok, ok, you got me." He says, breathing heavy and leaning on his knees. "I've got to put my stuff down in my room, ok?"
Holly giggles after she's finished chasing Mike. "Ok! Have fun!" She smiles again
He smiles back, just as brightly as he heads up the stairs. He hadn't realized how much he had missed his little sister. It always felt like she was off in her own world, but they had become closer over the years. When he moved away for college, he probably cried the most for Holly out of all of his family-Not Nancy, because she lives in the same city as him when he's there for school.
As he unpacks, he thinks about his life in New York. He's in a good college doing what he's wanted to do, and he has a nice apartment. He wished he lived in a house, but money is tight as a college student, even if you're only an English major.
He misses a lot from New York already. His apartment, his bed, that flower shop on the corner of the street by the bakery he loves, the bakery he loves, Will.
Will
He sighed thinking about it. He wished he had been less of a coward to say it, that he liked Will.
Most of all, though, He missed his cat.
His big fluffy little calico Arlo.
Arlo is a Mainecoon calico cat. His fur is patterned in a special way, it crosses one of his eyes rigid and cool looking, but also soft and cute. The rest was like paint splattered on a canvas in a beautiful mess. He had missed snuggling with Arlo, but he couldn't take him because of Holly's Cat allergy.
When he reaches the bottom of the stairs, Holly is sitting at the couch and watching some re run of show she has probably seen too many times.
"Hey, I'm back. What are you watching?" He looks at Holly, then the screen, trying to figure out what movie or show it is.
"Snow White." Holly replies without looking away from the screen.
Mike nodded. "Ah."
They watched the movie, Mike was kind of half-watching it because he didn't really care for princess movies, but he was watching regardless.
When it got to the part where the prince kisses Snow White, and they fall in love, Holly frowns. "I want love like that."
Mike turns to her, a small frown plastered on his face. "Maybe you shouldn't want a stranger to kiss you while you're asleep, Holly." He smiles.
She gives him a look "I don't mean that. I mean- I want to love someone who loves me back." A pang in Mike's chest. He's been here before, except the person he loved he was too late to love back. Now they were gone.
"I can relate." He laughs, but it was kind of sad.
"You can?" Her eyes light up like there's only one thing on her mind. Tell me.
He nods his head gently. "I fell in love with someone, who didn't love me back."
"Who?" Holly says, curiously.
"One of my best friends, I was very much in love with him." He smiles, it was bitter sweet, soft and gentle in a way that only he could be to two people.
"Him? It was a boy? You fell in love with a boy?" Holly asks. Mike nods, a smile plastered on his face.
"Yes I did, very much so." Mike's smile refused to move despite the reminder of his long gone best friend.
"He did love me at some point, but it took me too long to get there. I guess he was tired of waiting." Holly frowned.
"But if he really loved you, wouldn't he wait for you?" Mike chuckled, it was dry, more like a sob.
"Maybe, I won't ever know, though." Holly tilted her head in confusion.
"Why?" The tears Mike was holding onto slipped from his eyes.
"He's somewhere else. I can't reach him there." Mike lets out a small sob.
Holly hugs him. "Will you ever get to see him again?" Mike smiles. "Maybe."
"Who is it?" Holly furrows her eyebrows, trying not to cry from the person in front of her.
"Do you remember Will?" Holly's gaze softened, her eyes wide. "But Will passed away." Mike nods. "He did."
Now the tears come to Holly. "That's not fair." She says, sobbing.
"It's not." Mike says, gentle. "But maybe when I'm gone, I will get to see him there. And I will be able to tell him how I feel, and maybe he would love me back again."
"Do you ever wish you didn't have to wait so long?" He nods.
"But sometimes special people come into our lives, stay for a bit, and have to go."
"But that's sad." Holly frowns.
"It is, but the part they were in was happy, wasn't it?" He rested his hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently.
"Well yeah, you guys played D&D together!"
"Maybe that makes it all worth it." They both smile, and hug.
"I love you kiddo, don't let anyone convince you different." One last tear falls from his eye, he really missed Holly. And he really misses Will.
"I love you too, Mikey." Holly smiles again, hugging him tight
Maybe all he needed right now was his family, was his little sister.
And that was enough.